The new generation MG HS has been spotted testing on Australian roads, just over a month before the covers come off the mid-size SUV.
An image sent to us by a CarExpert reader (below) shows the new one MG HS driven in Brisbane, with NSW registration information revealing it is an evaluation vehicle.
It’s also the first time we’ve seen the second-generation model in Australia, after the facelift of the SUV currently in local showrooms was shelved and ultimately shelved by MG for our market in favor of an all-new version.
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As reported earlierthe new MG HS is understood to be a facelifted version of the RX5 from Roewe – a sister brand also owned by SAIC Motor – that is larger in every dimension than the SUV it will replace.
An MG UK executive said Automotive News Europe the company will unveil the successor to the current HS generation at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (held between July 11 and 14), where the Chinese marque will now celebrate its 100th anniversary.
However, patent images of its exterior design were shared earlier and powertrain details are also known thanks to the Roewe RX5.
In China, the RX5’s 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder produces 138kW of power and 300Nm of torque – 19kW and 50Nm more than the current HS 1.5T – and is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch wet automatic transmission.
MG Australia has previously confirmed that the new HS should arrive here by the end of 2024, launching first with a petrol engine only, before a replacement for the current HS Plus EV plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is expected to follow ).
PHEV versions of the Roewe eRX5 are powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with electric motor and 10-speed automatic transmission, developing a total system output of 183kW and 570Nm – down 6kW but up 200Nm on the HS Plus EV .
This electrified variant can achieve a claimed range of 61km on the gentle NEDC cycle from its 12.3kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery.
It is not clear how much the price will increase with the new generation.
The MG HS currently starts from $29,990 before on-road costs, while the HS Plus EV is priced from $49,690 on-the-road.
The MG HS is the slowest-selling model in the brand’s Australian range, recording 1,125 sales in the first four months of 2024. By comparison, almost 8,000 MG ZSs were sold during the same period.
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